How much does food packaging cost to develop?

Food packaging typically costs between $3000 and $8000 for the base design, then around 30% of that cost for individual SKUs.

I have a friend/spouse/kid who’s a graphic designer. He or she will do it much cheaper.

Every year, we have several new clients approach us with the same problem: A great product that is not selling as well as expected. Frequently, delisting is imminent and tens of thousands of dollars that were spent on development and listing fees are at risk.

70% of the time the culprit is packaging. It may be pretty but it’s often not optimized for retail. Our designers live and breathe retail and grocery stores, understanding planograms, shelf blocking and category conventions. As a result, our packaging design helps the product to sell itself, earning rather than wasting money on design cost and listing fees.

What factors will make this more expensive?

Complex food photography is required.

Complexity of packaging – you’re creating a custom solution.

You need support with nutrition labelling, health claims, etc.

What can be done to minimize expense?

Keep the packaging simple, using off the shelf and available resources.